Setting a Spring Table for Lunch

With yet another freeze warning looming, I decided to set a spring table for lunch, using flowers from the garden.

What could be better than hand-painted pansies to accompany the fresh flowers? These lovely dessert plates were a present from Miss J. Their soft pastels are a reflection of the tenuous nature of the early days of spring. One day it's warm and sunny, the next cold and blustery! 

I chose a tablecloth hand-blocked in gold as the base. The center square of the cloth is filled with stylized flowers. Borrowed gold flatware gleams.

For a centerpiece, dogwood, Solomon's seal and two types of azaleas are casually set in a cut glass vase. On either side are two of the boxes we've collected over the years.

The George Tabor azaleas came through the light freeze with aplomb, unlike most of the others. You can see them in the garden in Covered in Blooms: the April Garden.

Greg bought this intricately inlaid box in Jerusalem's Old City,

and this beautifully patterned box in Nazareth on his last trip to Israel. They are both hand-crafted, and seemed to be comfortable paired with the cloth printed in India.

I like to use square cloths on round tables. It's unexpected and the corner drape highlights the edge design.

Oversized napkins are rolled, then held by contemporary gold spray rings . I love their exuberance! 

I also used these fabulous 1960's glasses, which debuted in Silver and Gold.

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The scrolling lines of brown, taupe and aqua on the plates complement the floral antique dessert plates.

The vibrant pinks punch up a fairly monochromatic table! I couldn't resist bringing them indoors.

The dessert plates have a Hutschenreuther Selb Bavaria mark used between 1857 and 1920. Due to their excellent condition I'm assuming they date from the early 1900's. A wonderful surprise from Miss J that I couldn't wait to use!

I love to mix table elements, from antique to contemporary, traditional designs with ethnic sensibilities, colors with neutrals.

For a spring table, or for any season!

 

Table resources
Plates | Noritake 'Esteem'
Dessert plates | Hutschenreuther Selb, pattern unknown
Napkins | Pottery Barn